University of Tennessee Athletics
Postgame Quotes: #14/14 UT 85, LU 51
December 07, 2014 | Women's Basketball
Recap | Box Score | Notes
Tennessee Head Coach Holly Warlick
(Opening Statement)
"It was really fun to be here at Lipscomb. I thought Coach Greg Brown has done a really, really good job with his basketball team. We wanted to come down here twofold for Greg and also so our fans could get a chance to see us play here in Nashville. We talked a lot about playing with energy and I thought today, we were right on. We played really hard and for the most part, we played smart. We moved the basketball pretty well and didn't quick shoot it like we have done in the past. The first four minutes Lipscomb did a great job of staying in on our post, but we didn't panic. I am very proud of our effort and glad for the win, but more importantly I am proud of how we played. We have the talent, but now we need to continue to play with the heart we played with today."
(On Lipscomb's game plan)
"I thought they had a great game plan. They really packed the lane and forced us to shoot outside. Part of our game plan each week is to get the ball out and score quickly off transition, but Lipscomb did a good job of not giving up very much. They made us think and I am glad they did, because we had to learn to play together. We eventually settled in and hit began to hit outside shots and that loosened things up for us offensively."
(On the defensive effort)
"I thought overall our defensive effort was pretty solid. Lipscomb just settled down and played like they had nothing to lose in the second half. We switched a lot and that is something we haven't been doing a lot of. We closed out and got beat on the drive some, so there are some areas we can take from today and learn from, but for the most part we put more pressure on the ball than we have in the past. There are still so many things we have to get better at. Film doesn't lie, so we will watch this tape and pull some things we need to work on."
(On Cierra Burdick's aggressiveness)
"Cierra is a tough kid and she is tough on herself. I think she has been pressing a little bit in the last couple of games after missing a few shots. But I thought she let the game come to here today. When she is open she is a great shooter. I was happy to see her get into the flow of the game today. Cierra is a big key to our success.
Tennessee Freshman Guard Alexa Middleton
(On facing high school teammate Emily Eubank)
"It is always fun when best friends play against one another. We are going to go hard and compete against one another while we are on the court; it was almost like a flashback today."
(On scoring 58 points off the bench)
"It is great to have girls that can come off the bench and score to where you can have anyone step up on any given night. But we can also step up in other ways. Andraya (Carter) even though she was 0-for-4 shooting, she was everywhere for us tonight getting steals and forcing turnovers."
(On the defensive effort in the first half)
"We brought a lot of energy and stuck to our game plan. We made sure they didn't get any transition three's and any drives in the middle. We just brought a lot of energy and did exactly what we were supposed to do."
Tennessee Senior Center Isabelle Harrison
(On Lipscomb's zone defense)
"It was difficult and they had a great game plan. One of our strengths is our inside game and when you take that away it makes our guards work that much harder, but I thought we did a good job with ball movement and also knocking down open shots. It was really hard getting into the middle of their zone. Lipscomb did a great job of sagging in on us. They made our post players really think and kick the ball back out."
(On coming back from an injury)
"I had a little bit of a step back with the injury and I wanted to get some of that rust off. My coaches and teammates were encouraging me that I have to understand I am not going to be 100 percent coming off an injury so I just went out there and tried to do the best I can while still helping my team."
Tennessee Senior Forward Cierra Burdick
(On getting her shot back)
"I felt I got away from it in the first couple of games, but tonight I just tried to play to my strengths. I am a mid-range player and I got back to being that. I was confident in my shot and I that is the biggest thing - being confident and letting it flow."
(On getting the team's first road win of the season)
"We definitely needed this. We have a big road test coming up at Rutgers, but we are just happy to get this win against Lipscomb. They are a good basketball team and it was a great environment to play in, especially with three of our players being from the state of Tennessee. It was cool to come here to play in front of our fans and get a home-court advantage on the road."
